San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-11-19
THREE EFON boys.
BY W. E. NORRIS.


informed me, with a very long face, that
his Vaccinations had been denounced to
Lord Staines.
at was Lady Bracknells doing" he
said. 'Tt seems that she went to the old
man and told him that she could not bear
to see him hoodwinked, that she felt IL
her duty TO open his eyes-and all that
and she opened his eyes But / don't
think" added Jim pensively, looking
down at the ground and then glancing
quickly up at me for a moment-"I don't
think that her sense of duty had much to
say to the matter"
81 will venture" remarked, "to go
along with you as far as that; don't
think her sense of duty had much to say
to it. But perhaps this is Of no great con-
sequence. What has been the result of
this timely intervention of hersf'
"Oh," answered Jim, with slight
shrug of his shoulders, ''the result has
been that have been turned out Of the
house. couldn't expect anything else,
could II What annoys me is to think
that 1 have deserved 1t. Lord Staines
really behaved uncommonly well. He
sent for me at once and told me that
had been accused by Lady Bracknell OF
Systematically deceiving both him and
Beauchamp. He said he thought ought
to know what she asserted, though he
himself didn't believe her, and was sure
that neither Mildred nor / would take adj
vantage of Beauchamp's absence in the
way she described. Well, Of course, she
hadn't got it quite right; still, when he
put it in that way, had to tell him the
truth. / never felt so small in my life,
I nj 10 n -hu
Beauchamp should have assumed a false
character. The end of it was that he sent
for Mildred. 1t was very hard upon her,
poor dear; but she came out of it splen-
didly. / must say that Mildred ISL
"Oh, yes; 1 know-an angel" inter-
rupted, rather rudely. 81 don't doubt it;
only, if l were in your place, think
should prefer her being woman. Filial
affection is all very fine, but it seems TO
me that, having made up her mind to
marry you, she ought to say So"
But, my dear fellow, that's exactly
what she did," returned Jim. ''There
was no persuading poor old Staines that
Beauchamp wasn't in earnest, and he
wanted her to promise that she would give
me up. That she refused to do, so then
he said he was very sorry, but that, under
the circumstances, he must forbid me his
house. I couldn't complain of that. i
said / was very sorry, zoo, which was true
enough. shouldn't have minded so much
If he had flown into a rage; but he was
quite quiet all the time, and I'm afraid he
was good deal hurt, poor old chap! Mil
dred says he is getting fidgety about
Bracknell, too. They haven't word from
him, and the lawyers wrote the other day
to say that he had put his affairs into their
hands, and that he spoke of leaving Eng
land. wonder where he is and what he
Is going to doY'
Hardly were the words out of his mouth
when the door of my study, where we
were sitting, was flung open, and in
walked Bracknen himself. He marched
straight up to Jim, laid hand on each of
his shoulders, and said: "Well, you dear,
solemn old Jim, so you're going to have
your own way at last, are you? About
time, too. l saw Beauchamp in town,
yesterday, and he todd me that it was all
right between you and Mildred. I'm
heartily glad of it,"
1t was the voice of the Bracknell Of our
school days that spike, and indeed when
looked at him it seemed to me that his
eyes, too, had recovered something of
their old boyish light. ''Give me cigar,
Maynard" said he, seating himself astride
upon chair, "and We'll have jolly hour
together, we three; it's quite on the cards
that we may never spend another hour to-
gether; for I'm off to the Soudan to fight
those black beggars, who seem able to
give pretty good account Of themselves.
We haven't always been quite as good
friends as we once were, but that has been
my fault, and as Pm going away now,
perhaps you'll forgive and forget, Ell,
Jim?'
Jim silently stretched out his big brown
hand, which the other took; and then
produced my best cigars and rang for
brandy and soda. But Bracknell declined
that refreshment.
mo drink, thanks" said he, with a
laugh. ''I've given up drink and cards
and everything else that ought to be Civ
en- up, and I'm going to be good boy for
the future"
He was in wonderfully high spirits. He
told us how he had discharged all his debts
of honor (which may have had something
to do with his inability to discharge the
others; how, by working his interest in
high quarters, he had managed to get ap-
pointed to some queer cOrps-whether it
was the mounted infantry or the dis
mounted cavalry or the camel marines
can't recollect-and how he was looking
forward to a noble fight; (Which, after
ALL when you come to think of it, is the
very best use that a hulking brute like me
can put himself to-" But about his wife
he said never a word; nor did either Jim
or care to bring forward her name, the
former merely mentioning that he had
been forbidden to show himself at Staines
Court, without specifying the origin of
this decree of Punishment.
ooh, that'n be all right" Bracknell
said airily; "the governor will come round
if you give him time. Now that the pen
has gone through Beauchamp's name,
there's nothing but you in the race that 1
can see."
But he did not seem disposed to dwell
upon the subject, nor, indeed, upon any
other that was connected with the present
or the future. 1t was about old Elton
days that he wanted to talk, and very
soon Jim and he were chuckling over the
memory of many bygone escapade, as if
they had been schoolboys together once
more. At last Bracknen glanced at his
watch and pitched away the end of his
cigar.
"Ah, wellr' he said, cit has been very
jolly seeing you fellows again; but my
times up now and I must go and say
goodby to the governor and Mildred. 1
shall have to get back to London this
evening, so as to make an early start to-
morrow. You might walk up with me,
Jim. Oh, no, by the way, you can't,
though. But come down to the station at
5 o'clock and see the last of me, like
good chap, will your
Jim promised that he would be there,
and presently BrackneI took my arm and
walked me off toward Staines Court. |